Manifest Begins Transponder Hardware Development with The RAD Team

Luke Frydenger (CMO of Manifest Space), Merek Chertkow (Founder & CEO of RAD Team), Nick Orenstein (CEO of Manifest Space), and Sean Macdonald (Sr. Business Dev Manager of RAD Team).

Manifest Space has selected The RAD Team to support the development of the

company’s first orbital transponder hardware platform, marking an important step as Manifest moves from concept and policy engagement into flight-ready infrastructure.

Manifest is building onboard transponders and supporting data systems designed to give spacecraft a persistent, positive identity and position in orbit. The technology is intended to help satellite operators coordinate more effectively and support the development of safer space traffic operations as the number of spacecraft in orbit continues to grow. 

With this agreement, Manifest begins the engineering work required to bring its first-generation transponder hardware to life. 

The RAD Team will support the effort with radiation engineering, electronics design, and mission assurance expertise, ensuring the system is designed to operate reliably in the harsh radiation environment of space. 

"Space traffic coordination only works if the hardware in orbit is reliable,” said Nick Orenstein, CEO of Manifest Space.

“If satellites are going to carry highly reliable independent equipment for coordinated operations, those systems have to be built for the realities of space. The RAD Team brings the kind of radiation and mission assurance expertise needed to make that possible."

The RAD Team provides radiation engineering, testing, and mission assurance services across commercial and government space programs. The company’s multidisciplinary engineering team supports spacecraft development through radiation analysis, electronics design, and hardware qualification for space environments.   

Founded to make high-level radiation expertise more accessible across the industry, the company helps spacecraft developers identify and mitigate radiation risks early in the design process, improving reliability while reducing costly redesign cycles.   

“The space industry is entering a phase where operational infrastructure matters as much as launch capability,” said Merek Chertkow, Founder and CEO of The RAD Team. “We’re excited to support Manifest as they develop hardware that can help make the orbital environment safer and more predictable.” 

Manifest’s transponder platform is designed to function as a compact, independent onboard identity beacon for spacecraft, enabling satellites to broadcast position and identification data that can be used by operators and coordination systems across the space ecosystem. 

The goal is simple: make it easier for spacecraft to know who and where other spacecraft are, and enable safer, more coordinated operations as activity in Earth orbit continues to expand. 

This hardware development milestone represents the first step toward flight-ready systems that could support a new generation of coordination infrastructure for space.